Two shot, one fatally, outside church in Fresno

Two people were shot in the parking lot of St. Alphonsus Church in Fresno on Sunday and police were involved in a standoff nearby with someone believed to be the gunman, the Fresno Bee reports.

According to dispatch and eyewitness reports, the shooter got out of a vehicle, fired his gun at the victims who were shot inside a blue Toyota, and returned to the car to flee the scene.

Father Dominic Rajappa told the Fresno Bee that morning mass had just ended and churchgoers were leaving when gunfire broke out.

One person reportedly died. More than an hour later, her body, covered by a blue tarp, was still lying between two cars, according to the Fresno Bee. The other victim’s status was not immediately known.

Rajappa said he didn’t believe many people saw the shooting, but it left parishioners shaken. “They were really scared,” he told the Fresno Bee.

Police officers were massing outside of a house on California Avenue near Arthur Avenue, where the alleged shooter was believed to be holed up.

According to dispatch reports, police were trying to evacuate nearby homes before attempting to get the alleged shooter to surrender.